This invention relates to safety devices for outboard motors; more particularly, the invention relates to a safety guard for protecting the lower portion of an outboard motor which is submerged while in use.
Boat owners propel boats with conventional outboard motors. During use, the lower unit of an outboard motor occasionally strikes submerged objects such as rocks, stumps, logs, or other hazards. Damage to the propeller, drive shaft, drive shaft housing, gears, gear casing, and skeg occur upon impact between the lower unit and a submerged obstacle. Damage to an element of the lower outboard motor unit may necessitate stoppage of a motor for repairs and prevent additional use and enjoyment of the motor.
Patents concerning guards designed specifically to protect the propeller, or only a portion of the lower unit, include the Wise U.S. Pat. No. 2,140,099, Sydney U.S. Pat. No. 2,470,874, Brown U.S. Pat. No. 2,894,477, Fester U.S. Pat. No. 2,963,000, Martinson U.S. Pat. No. 3,025,825, Karls U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,412, Arado U.S. Pat. No. 2,355,842, Faunda U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,255, Newman U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,461 and Springer U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,533. The prior art deflects obstacles away from the propeller and incidentally assists in the elevation of the lower unit as it passes over a submerged object. These guards do not sufficiently safeguard all the elements of a lower unit from damage resulting from impact with submerged hazards.
In the past guards have generally been secured to an outboard motor forward of the propeller. These guards are designed to protect and reduce the risk of damage only to a predetermined portion of the lower unit, specifically the propeller. The remainder of a lower unit of a conventional outboard motor remains unprotected by prior art.